Jinting Han people

As Liu Xian said, this was not the first time in his life that he had defended a city.

From his adult military career onward, all sorts of offensive and defensive battles have been a constant part of his life. From the Eastern Palace to the Ancient Wood Plains, from Xiayang to Niyang and then to Luoyang, in his early years, these battles would stir his emotions, followed by trepidation and then a surge of boundless pride. But now, he is no longer affected by them. Fear and excitement have both faded from his mind; only the simple matter of victory and defeat remains in his eyes. In this respect alone, he may have approached the level of military strategy described as "rolling a round stone down a thousand-foot mountain."

As for this battle to defend Yi'an, Liu Xian had already thought it through very clearly. Although it was called a battle to defend the city, it was actually quite different from previous battles to defend the city.

The reason I was able to hold out in Niyang was because Niyang was a small, strategically located city, and I could wait for reinforcements. Therefore, even with fewer troops, I could hold the city. The same thing happened in Luoyang. After Zhang Fang defeated most of the Imperial Guards, Liu Xian actually abandoned the large city of Luoyang and moved to smaller cities like Jinyong City to stabilize the situation.

This is a very simple principle: a small city is easier to defend, requiring less deliberation, and is easier to manage, making it easier for the military and civilians to unite as one. Conversely, if a city is large and has a large population, it is difficult to manage. Once the enemy forces breach the outer defenses and enter the city, the residents will inevitably erupt into chaos, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

Therefore, to defend a large city, the focus of attack and defense is not on the city walls, but outside them. This is why generals defending large cities often set up a complete defensive system outside the city, making it the true main battlefield.

As mentioned earlier, Yi'an's defense system consisted of a triangular structure formed by one large city and two smaller cities, with a surrounding dike built outside the main city. However, when Liu Xian breached the city, Gou Xi, due to his limited forces, did not effectively utilize this system. He was unable to defend the dike, and the connection between the two garrison cities was also weak. This allowed Liu Xian to easily breach the city using tunnel warfare tactics.

But now it was Liu Xian's turn to defend the city himself. With ample troops, he naturally wanted to make good use of these fortifications. With this in mind, he didn't order his soldiers to fortify the city walls, but instead planned to dig trenches along the land outside the city, using the dikes as the main structure, and then build a long palisade, before piling earth behind the wooden palisade. This palisade would be about ten miles long; once completed, it would be equivalent to having an outer city outside Yi'an City.

Compared to the original deployment, this has three advantages:
The first benefit, needless to say, is that it expands the depth of the defense and helps stabilize the morale of the troops within the city.
The second advantage is that the Han army has completely occupied the dikes and the mouth of the Youjiang River, which provides the Han navy with a good harbor. At present, the Han army is short of troops, making it difficult to defend the city while simultaneously supporting the navy, and vice versa. Therefore, by using a small number of ships to block the river mouth, most of the warships can be anchored in the Youjiang River to avoid naval battles, while allowing the navy to launch a surprise attack when needed.

The third benefit was that it reshaped the layout of the two citadels. Through the navy, Matou City and Yi'an City on the east bank of the Youjiang River could support each other, and through the long siege, Yi'an City and Furen City could support each other at any time, so that the two citadels would not fall into a state of isolation and helplessness.

However, given the sheer scale of the project and the limited timeframe, Liu Xian had to requisition the local people and houses of Nanping County to complete it quickly. But he also considered that mishandling the situation might incite a popular uprising, so he issued a decree promising the people of Yi'an that after the battle, each household would receive fifteen mu of land, and that this land would be exempt from taxation for three years.

However, as it turned out, Liu Xian's worries were somewhat unfounded. After all, the Jin army had extremely poor discipline. Previously, when Gan Zhuo's army besieged counties such as Zuotang, in order to seize supplies and eliminate Han spies in the surrounding area, they burned, killed, and looted the surrounding people, forcing a large number of people to flee to Yi'an City. In their exaggerated accounts, the so-called Jin army was completely like evil demons, indiscriminately killing people without any regard for right or wrong.

As rumors spread, Yi'an was gripped by fear and gloom. Many people had initially held a relatively positive impression of the Jin army due to Liu Hong and Ying Zhan, but this impression was now completely shattered. In contrast, the Han army had consistently maintained discipline, avoiding disturbance to the people, making the difference stark. Now, with the King of Han's promise, the local populace finally sided with the Han army, actively responding to the call to build a siege.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Jin army's scouts finally approached the Yi'an area. At this time, the Jin army's northern and southern routes had already stopped at the pre-arranged positions: Ying Zhan's troops were stationed at Baihu, twenty miles southwest of Furen City, while Wang Xun led the navy to stop at Shenzizhou. Neither side moved any closer, but waited for the main forces in the rear to gather.

The vanguard of the Jin army had already reached Mahoukou, but the main force would take some time to arrive. Therefore, Gan Zhuo's troops were sent to scout out the details first. Upon receiving the order, Gan Zhuo did not refuse. He immediately led his eldest son and several personal guards, disguised as refugees, and mingled with a group of hungry refugees. He then went to Yi'an to investigate the strength of the Han army.

The group of refugees he infiltrated came from Chanling. Because the Han army had concentrated all its forces in Yi'an, Chanling, located upstream on the Youjiang River, was naturally abandoned. Without a garrison, the local scholars and common people should have surrendered to the Jin army, but influenced by rumors, they dared not welcome them. Instead, they either fled to their rural fortified villages or hurried to Yi'an. Gan Zhuo had caught the tail end of the journey; according to the local refugees, in two more days, Yi'an would no longer accept refugees.

Gan Zhuo and his group claimed to be merchants from Guangzhou who, fearing plunder by the Jin army due to the war, intended to seek refuge with the King of Han. The refugees from Chanling did not suspect anything. Their leader was named Che Yu, whose grandfather was actually Che Jun, the governor of Kuaiji during the Eastern Wu dynasty. Although his family had declined after the Jin dynasty, they were still a prominent local clan with considerable prestige. Che Yu accepted a sum of money from Gan Zhuo and, seeing that he seemed to be a scholar, they chatted idly along the way.

Che Yu first berated Gan Zhuo, saying to the Jin army, "The Northern barbarians are vicious! They've already wreaked havoc in the north, and now they've come to wreak havoc in the south!"

This was the prejudice of Jiangnan scholars against the North after decades of division and war. Gan Zhuo had heard it all before in the South, so he just echoed it. Unexpectedly, Che Yu then cursed, "Wu dogs are no good either, they actually collude with the Northern barbarians! Especially that Gan Zhuo, he's just like his ancestors, born to be a thief! That's why he's caused so much trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Gan Zhuo was truly embarrassed and could only laugh awkwardly to the side. In truth, the actions of Gan Zhuo's army along the way were not Gan Zhuo's intention. He himself, upholding his reputation, still wanted to govern with benevolence. However, Wang Kuang's order was to clear the roads and drive away all the surrounding civilians, forcing him to comply. Furthermore, Wang Chong's troops included many northern refugees who had surrendered from Zhang Fang's forces; their discipline was even worse. The combination of these two factors led to this chaotic situation, and as a result, all the blame fell on Gan Zhuo, the commander-in-chief.

Gan Zhuo couldn't argue at this point, so he simply changed the subject to military matters: "Brother Che, in your opinion, can Gong'an City be defended? Won't something go wrong?"

For Gan Zhuo, the Han army's decision not to retreat but to confront them head-on was indeed unexpected. After all, their solemn advance was intended to create an aura of certain victory, forcing the Han army to retreat and recapture Jiang'an without bloodshed. The Han army's unexpected refusal to retreat disrupted the Jin army's plans. While the main Jin force was indeed waiting for reinforcements, their slow and hesitant attack, even with the city so close, was primarily due to their urgent discussions on the siege strategy.

When the topic came up, Che Yu touched his neck and said matter-of-factly, "Defending a city is easy, isn't it? As long as there is enough food and the general is determined, even a few thousand defenders in Hefei can repel a hundred thousand Wu troops. The King of Han is renowned throughout the world for his military prowess, so how could he not hold it?"

Seeing that the other party was ignorant of military affairs, Gan Zhuo immediately lost interest in talking to Che Yu. After all, different terrains cannot be generalized. He thought to himself: Only by seeing it with his own eyes can he make a final conclusion.

As the group drew closer to Yi'an, Gan Zhuo finally saw the palisade outside the city that was under repair. Who could have imagined that the battlefield where the Han and Jin armies would later clash so fiercely would be nothing more than a wooden palisade, about ten feet high, erected on the plain. From afar, it didn't seem particularly impressive; up close, it even appeared rather flimsy. Even though it stretched for nearly twenty miles, seemingly endless, a wooden palisade was ultimately just a wooden palisade.

However, this wooden palisade still left a deep impression on Gan Zhuo. No matter how simple the palisade was, time was of the essence, and it was already quite remarkable that the Han army was able to complete the palisade in such a short time. Moreover, the Han army had also dug a six-foot-deep trench in front of the palisade and built earthen platforms behind it. Behind the earthen platforms, many laborers could be seen, who were building a second palisade and erecting watchtowers and small fortresses between the earthen platforms.

The area around the palisade was indeed teeming with people. Aside from the Han soldiers maintaining order, the number of laborers digging and transporting earth was countless, probably around 60,000 to 70,000. They worked feverishly, digging and carrying soil, filling the air with the smell of yellow mud and withered grass. After arriving at the palisade, Che Yu and Gan Zhuo's group walked a mile around before finally finding the checkpoint. The Han army officer registering their names and issuing them wooden tags, then incorporated them into the ranks of laborers. They were to work on the outer perimeter for three days, after which they would be allowed to enter the city and settle down, using the wooden tags as proof of their completion.

This was probably a tactic to prevent espionage. Gan Zhuo had originally planned to enter the city to assess the strength of the Han army and estimate the exact number of the garrison, but now it seemed unlikely that would be possible.

Gan Zhuo, undeterred, joined the laborers, digging with them. He then used the excuse of transporting soil to search the palisade, looking for any unfinished sections or gaps. However, after half a day, he was greatly discouraged. The Han army's palisade was impeccably constructed, without any flaws. Furthermore, Han soldiers were stationed at regular intervals to provide warning, and beacon towers were also in place. It seemed that if the Jin army moved to attack a particular point, the Han troops inside the palisade would quickly follow and regroup to defend it.

In the evening, the Han army distributed meals to the laborers, consisting of vegetable porridge and tofu, but this was clearly better than the food of the ordinary Jin soldiers. The Han army's porridge was not only thick, but also allowed for refills if needed, and the tofu was a rare delicacy from Jiangnan, not yet widely available in the rice-producing region. However, Liu Xian, recognizing its high quality and low price, promoted it wherever he went, and it proved quite effective.

Gan Zhuo surveyed the food and realized that the Han army had ample provisions, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. All signs indicated that the Han army was determined to defend the city here. Although it was only a simple palisade to break through, if their side did not pay a certain price, this palisade would become an insurmountable barrier.

While they were eating, Gan Zhuo suddenly heard the excited commotion around him. The laborers were looking in one direction and whispering, "They're here! They're here!" Gan Zhuo was taken aback for a moment before realizing that it was Liu Xian, the Prince of Han, who had come to inspect the area!

He had met Liu Xian once in Luoyang, and fearing that Liu Xian would recognize him, he quickly hid in the crowd before attempting to spy. However, before he could even stand still, all the people around him knelt down in unison, leaving Gan Zhuo with no choice but to kneel down as well.

He glanced up discreetly and spotted a group of about eighty riders walking along the path. Although Guo Mo, standing beside Liu Xian, was a large man, clad in bright red lacquered armor, and looked very imposing, all the commoners immediately recognized the man behind Guo Mo, dressed in a simple indigo robe, as the King of Han. This was not only because they had seen the King of Han many times, nor because he appeared particularly majestic and handsome, but also because of a certain aura they couldn't quite put their finger on—perhaps a profound air, perhaps an unusually piercing gaze, or some other distinctive characteristic. They simply knew that the King of Han was completely different from the others.

Facing the welcoming soldiers and civilians lining the streets, Liu Xian remembered his three principles of discussion and did not leave the ranks without permission. Instead, he rode slowly, smiling and nodding to the soldiers, and occasionally telling the civilians, "No need to kneel, no need to kneel." But the civilians wouldn't listen. Many of them had only ever seen a governor as their highest-ranking official, and seeing the King of Han was considered an immense honor. Seeing his composure, the civilians believed that the Han army would surely win the upcoming battle.

Liu Xian's gaze swept across the crowd, and he suddenly felt that he saw a somewhat familiar face, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He wanted to turn around and take a closer look, but it disappeared again, and for a moment he thought it was his imagination.

Meanwhile, Gan Zhuo, who was hiding nearby, was still shaken. He hadn't expected the King of Han to have such sharp eyes. He was even more amazed that Liu Xian's imperial aura had become so strong after not seeing him for several years!
That night, he and his entourage secretly crossed the wooden fence and went to Wang Kuang's troops to report the situation: "The rebel army's frontal fortifications are complete, and they are adept at using trickery to deceive the ignorant people, winning their hearts and minds and boosting their morale. Attacking the fence by land will likely be difficult. In my opinion, the best strategy would be for the navy to first attack the dikes, and then advance south to besiege the fence!" (End of Chapter)